Nets-Celtics Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMANPosted Mar 01 2012 3:28PM

The Boston Celtics used games against two of the Eastern Conference's worst teams to get to .500 and have another such opponent to try to get over that mark.

The New Jersey Nets, however, have won three straight on the road and will resemble an entirely different team that the one that visited the TD Garden nearly two months ago.

The Celtics have won eight of the last nine home matchups against the Nets heading into Friday night's meeting.

Boston (17-17) entered the All-Star break with five straight losses before winning 86-83 at Cleveland on Tuesday and 102-96 at home over Milwaukee one night later.

"I'm just glad we're back to .500," coach Doc Rivers said.

Rajon Rondo, who failed to score but had 11 assists against the Cavaliers, notched his third triple-double of the season Wednesday with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He's second in the league with 9.6 assists per game.

"The second half, he called 12 different sets and we got to the first option and the second option and it just looked organized and good," Rivers said. "And that's who we were and that's what we have to be. And I thought it was Rondo's doing."

Paul Pierce scored 24 points and Rondo had 12 assists in an 89-70 home win over New Jersey (11-25) on Jan. 4 as the Nets matched their lowest point total of the season.

New Jersey, however, didn't have Deron Williams, Brook Lopez or Kris Humphries in that contest. All three are back now with the Nets in search of their first four-game road win streak since Nov. 26-Dec. 6, 2008.

"We always do good on the road, we gotta do better at home," guard DeShawn Stevenson said. "I keep saying that, but we're a good road team."

Lopez's third game back since missing the first half of the season recovering from foot surgery was his best effort. The 7-footer made 17 of 28 shots for 38 points - one shy of his career high - in Tuesday's 93-92 win at Dallas.

"We kind of took the handcuffs off him. We weren't putting him on a minute restriction," coach Avery Johnson said. "He got a pretty good rest over the break, and we kept feeding him."

Williams had a subpar effort with 12 points on 3-of-15 shooting, although he handed out 12 assists. He averaged 28.3 points over his final seven games before the All-Star break.

Boston's Kevin Garnett will likely be tasked with defending Lopez. Garnett has averaged 22.0 points and 10.3 boards in three games since missing two due to a personal issue.

"I'm going through some personal problems as of late but I'm good and I'm back and I'm looking at life a little different and just beat up and all that, just giving everything I have," Garnett said.

The Nets average 21.6 first-quarter points for the NBA's third-worst mark, but have averaged 26.7 during this road win streak.

"If we get off to a good start and we have a decent first quarter, we got a chance to win," Johnson said. "But when we're down by 14-16 points in the first quarter, which has been our M.O. from time to time, we're not very good."

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Celtics top Nets for 3rd straight, move above .500

Posted Mar 02 2012 11:26PM

BOSTON (AP) The Boston Celtics found their way to the right side of a rout for the first time in more than a month.

Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo both had double-doubles and Paul Pierce came close to joining them as the Celtics beat the New Jersey Nets 107-94 on Friday night.

"We're athletic all of a sudden," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "The defense is good. We're rebounding and we're running. And that's good."

Garnett had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Rondo finished with 14 points and 13 assists, and Pierce added eight assists to go with his team-high 27 points as the Celtics won by more than 10 for the first time since beating Toronto 100-64 on Feb. 1.

Boston had been on the wrong end of several blowouts since, including three in a row during a five-game slide into the All-Star break. The Celtics have returned with three straight wins and the latest was hardly ever in doubt. The Celtics held a 26-point lead in the second half before New Jersey's reserves got the score slightly closer to respectable in the fourth quarter.

By then Pierce, Rondo and Garnett, who had his second straight double-double and third in four games, were enjoying a nice, relaxing view from the bench.

"We were mentally kind of worn down going into the break those last couple of weeks. Playing so many games and having so many inconsistencies," Pierce said. "It just gave us a chance to go into the break, refresh ourselves, and come back with a positive outlook on the second half. And it's showing out there on the court."

The Celtics were playing without Ray Allen, who was sick Friday night, but still controlled nearly the entire game and had five players score in double figures. Boston also had assists on 35 of its 45 field goals and topped 100 points for the third time in four games.

Boston also shut down All-Star point guard Deron Williams, who scored 10 points in the first quarter and just two the rest of the way. Williams also had eight assists, but could never get New Jersey's offense in synch.

New Jersey is still trying to recover from an eight-game losing streak last month. The Nets had gone 3-2 since the skid, including a 93-92 road win over the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, but slipped back to their old form on Friday night.

"We've had a history of having a really good win and then following it up with a very bad loss," Williams said. "We're very inconsistent as a team right now."

The Celtics shot 50 percent in the first half, taking a 58-40 lead into the break after committing just two turnovers. Boston controlled the lane, outscoring New Jersey 32-18 inside and running for 14 fast-break points while holding the Nets to none.

"This is a veteran team," New Jersey coach Avery Johnson said. "Garnett looked like he was 21-years-old tonight."

Mickael Pietrus scored 11 and reserve Chris Wilcox had 14 points and seven rebounds while playing 27 minutes, 41 seconds - the longest night for any Boston player. Most of his teammates were enjoying a rest at the end after shutting down a brief rally by the Nets.

The Nets continued to unravel in the third quarter, as Garnett scored eight early in the period, then Pierce converted a three-point play to put the Celtics up 73-49 with 6:27 left in the period. New Jersey was playing a man down because Lopez was still at the other end complaining his shot that was blocked by Brandon Bass should have been called goaltending.

There was no whistle and Rondo found Pierce under the basket for an easy layup as DeShawn Stevenson committed the foul.

The Celtics' lead grew to 26 before the Nets rallied to make it a little interesting near the end of the third with a 15-4 run. Green scored on three straight dunks, including a towering alley-oop from Brooks, during the surge, but the Nets still couldn't get closer than 14.

Garnett opened the fourth with a long jumper for the Celtics, who didn't allow the Nets to threaten again.

After the game, Rivers repeated an earlier comment he made about not expecting any big moves before the trade deadline - despite the near-constant chatter that Rondo doesn't get along with the coach and is the player most likely to leave Boston in a deal.

"I think there'll be a lot of talk about something happening and I just hope we have the strength to block it out," Rivers said.

Notes: Pierce missed the final minutes of the second quarter, heading to the locker room to be treated for cramps. He was back on the floor for the start of the third quarter. ... The Nets committed 20 turnovers while losing their fourth straight in Boston. ... Lopez scored eight of his 28 points from the foul line, where he went 8-for-10.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Celtics 107, Nets 94

Posted Saturday March 3, 2012 12:37AM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Paul Pierce broke out of his shooting slump with a team-high 27 points as the Boston Celtics blew out the New Jersey Nets 107-94 for their third consecutive win. Kevin Garnett added his third double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) over his past four games for the victors, as they posted a season-high 107 points against New Jersey. Brook Lopez had a game-high 28 points for the visitors, but the center and his teammates were unable to contain Boston's offense all night, as five Celtics scored in double figures during the easy win. Rajon Rondo also posted with 14 points and 13 assists as the C's inched their way back over the .500 mark to 18-17. The Nets had their three-game road winning streak snapped in the setback.

QUOTABLE: "I think we are moving the ball a lot better and hopefully hitting our stride right here at home. We are playing better basketball. We have a huge West coast trip coming up for us in the next couple weeks, so it's important for us to get as many wins as we can under our belt before we hit the road."-- Pierce

THE STAT: The Celtics had their highest point total in the first half of a game all season with 58 points. The hosts, normally one of the most turnover-prone teams in the league (averaging 15.6 per game) had just two turnovers over those first 24 minutes, enabling them to maximize their offensive output.

TURNING POINT: After scoring just five points in the first five minutes of the second quarter while clinging to a four-point lead, the C's exploded with a 18-1 run to build a double-digit lead. They would refuse to relinquish the double-digit advantage over the remainder of the contest.

QUOTABLE II: "We're getting stops over the last three games. I think two games in a row now for Rajon Rondo, as far as just offensive execution was off the charts. You know, he's back to calling a game every night. He made some sensational calls, through our sets."-- Doc Rivers on Boston's offensive execution

HOT: Garnett -- The rejuvenated power forward has been a force in the interior since shifting to the center spot in the starting lineup in place of the injured Jermaine O'Neal. Over his past four games, he has averaged 21.5 points and 10.3 rebounds while anchoring the Celtics defense.

NOT:Keyon Dooling -- The C's top guard off the bench was one of the few players who struggled on the offensive end for Boston Friday. Dooling hit just 2-of-10 shots from the field, and missed all five of his 3-point attempts.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Brook Lopez -- The Stanford product has shaken off the rust quickly on the offensive end since returning from a broken foot. Lopez has posted 22.5 points per game in his four games back.

NOTABLE:Ray Allen did not play due to a flu-like symptoms. Mickael Pietrus started in his place. Jordan Farmar (groin) returned to action after a four-game absence. The point guard scored seven points off the bench. Boston had a season-high 35 assists. The Celtics improved to 16-2 against New Jersey over the past five seasons. Pierce left the game with arm cramps at the end of the first half, but returned in the third quarter. Deron Williams scored just two points after the first quarter. New Jersey shot 33 percent from the field in the first half.